Metsu no Monogatari
by Kyomaru Metsu
Summary: a tale of adventure, and of friendship against the horror of fate, set in the Soul Society. Loads and Loads of Original Characters. rated M  for a reason
1. Struggle in a Sanctuary

why, hello there! the fact that you are reading this right now shows that I have finally gathered up enough courage to post this piece of bleach fanfiction here.  
This is my first fanfiction, and its first chapters were written a rather long time ago, and are rather small at first. I plan to rewrite them as soon as I have posted all of it.  
well, I don't want to waste too much of your precious time, but I want to mention that the bases for this story, it's characters, were created jointly by me and Katjeschatje, a very dear friend of mine, and while she has written fiction starring these very same characters, the story you are reading right now, is my take only. of course, I also have to mention that Bleach is in no way owned by me , but by Kubo Tite.  
well, that's about it, I sincerely hope you will enjoy reading it. thank you for your precious attention!

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 1 – Struggle in a Sanctuary

A young child was sitting in a very vast cave. The child's eyes were closed, and, although its position was somewhat relaxed, a gripping impression of alertness surrounded it. The cave was seemingly abandoned, but if someone had been there, he would have felt that the child's thoughts were focused on one thing, and one thing only.

Battle.

The battles past, and the battles yet to come alike.

The child had long orange hair, tied into a pigtail using a rather bloody piece of cloth, which the wind blew in its face. The child pushed the tail back, and then immediately resumed its immobility.

Thinking about the enemy. The enemy's way of fighting, and the enemy's time.

Thinking of ways to corner the enemy.

The enemy that is bound to turn up any time soon.

Footsteps could be heard coming from the only access to the cave, a small hole, behind which stairs were located. The young boy, alerted by the noise, stood up, and ran towards a little stone altar, placed in front of a shattered granite statue, the only remains of what seemed to have been an ancient place of cult. On the altar was a sheathed katana. When the young boy got hold of it, he lifted it up, only to drop it on the floor shortly thereafter. The sword was too heavy for a child to wield.

The young boy closed his eyes and concentrated. As he concentrated, he felt his strength increase drastically, and he grabbed the sword and lifted it almost carelessly above his head.

He brought the blade down in a long downwards swipe, cutting a stalagmite cleanly in two. The footsteps stopped, and the boy quickly hid himself behind a huge stone pillar. This proved useless, for the woman who had just entered the room suddenly disappeared, only to instantly reappear behind the child.

"Good morning, Hime-chan!", she said. Her words were immediately followed by a kick that sent the young boy flying over a long distance. He stood back up at once and ran towards the woman, who was clearly waiting for him. She attempted to kick him again, but he dodged, but when he tried to grab his foe's foot, she disappeared again, reappeared next to him and stabbed the young boy with a small dagger between his ribs. The pain this inflicted made the boy fall down to his knees.

" ha! you'll never touch _me_ if you can't do shunpo, you know!", she shouted at him from a distance. Then she appeared before him again, and kicked him in the stomach hard enough to throw him into the nearest stalagmite. The child coughed up some blood, and then stopped moving.


	2. A Dream of Memories

well, now I'm on a roll, uploading chapters. sorry for the shortness.  
Bleach is of course in no way mine, it's Kubo Tite's work.  
well, I hope you enjoy!

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 2 – A Dream of Memories

_Stand up, fool!_

_Stand up and fight again!_

_If I die now, what will I have accomplished? Nothing. At. All._

_If I die now, will _she_ acknowledge me? No._

_If I die now, I'll die alone, like any weak little bug would._

_No. I refuse to die. Not here, not now, and certainly not by _her_ hands._

_MOVE!_

The boy opened his eyes. He wanted to grab his sword, but could not find it anywhere. A quick look around made him realize two things. One, his sword had been placed back on the altar, two, there was no trace of the woman who had so brutally assaulted him a little while ago. He began to walk towards the entrance to the cave. This required considerable effort, for his injuries were still hurting, and he frequently coughed up blood. When he reached the entrance, he found what he was looking for very quickly: a few bandages and some fruit. He firmly bandaged his torso, to prevent himself from losing more blood, and ate half of an apple. Then he ran around the cave for a few minutes, to warm himself up and relieve a bit of his pain, and then went straight for the altar. He then picked the sword up, and started to practice furiously with it, dealing great damage to his surroundings. After having practiced for quite some time, he stopped, thinking to himself:

_This is useless! It just doesn't make any sense! Why become stronger if I can't actually hit her? I really should learn to do this "shunpo" of hers! _

He tried to do shunpo for several hours, but since he did not understand how the move worked, he did not succeed in pulling it off. Disappointed, he resumed practicing with his sword. When he had finished, he placed the sword back on the altar. After having run around the cave for a few minutes again, he sat down and closed his eyes.

Battle.

His thoughts became battle.

But the fatigue from the wounds he had got made him fall asleep.

_A small redheaded baby is sitting in the middle of the remains of a very large mansion. The mansion had been burned down completely._

_The baby is holding on to a beautifully crafted katana. The blade is black, and it's guard is elaborately decorated._

_The baby is crying. Vultures are circling the sky above him. But every time one of the birds dives towards the little boy, it spontaneously combusts as soon as it comes close to the child. It is clear that the child is making the vultures burn. It is also clear doing so costs a lot of energy. _

_Four vultures dive towards him at once. He manages to burn the first one, but the three others got through. The baby then slices two of them into pieces in one clean swipe of the sword. The child then collapses out of exhaustion, leaving himself at the mercy of the last vulture and his comrades, who have now started diving towards the unconscious child too._

_Then, at the same time, all of the vultures collapse, their throats cut. A woman then appears next to the child._

_The woman is tall, has a tanned skin, yellow eyes and purple hair. She picks up the child, saying only one word: "_interesting_"_


	3. Shunpo

another upload. again, sorry for the shortness, chapters will get longer over time  
I don't own bleach, of course. and my friend Katjeschatje owns half of what I do own (the OCs)

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 3 – Shunpo

_Interesting…_

The word still resonated through the boy's head when he woke up. But he had other concerns. One of them was that he had no idea how long he had slept, and therefore could not know how long it would be until _she_ showed up again, and another concern of his was that she came really close to killing him last time.

_I haven't gotten significantly stronger since last time, so she will definitely kill me this time if I don't get better fast. And she can show up any time, now. If only I could do shunpo!_

_But I can't, so I'd better find something else, and find it fast, before it's too la – _

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps resonating in the stairs once again. He picked up his sword and unsheathed it. Then he hid himself behind a pillar next to the cave's entrance, prepared to ambush the woman the footsteps belonged to. As soon as she entered the cave, the young boy jumped and brought his blade down on her. He did not cut her, as she had used shunpo and reappeared behind his back, aiming a roundhouse kick at his legs. He jumped instinctively to evade the kick, but was unable to dodge the punch in his face that followed. The full force of the attack nearly broke his nose, and he stumbled backwards. She proceeded immediately to kicking him in the stomach, sending his body rolling a few metres away. He concentrated all of his reiatsu in his legs, and jumped towards her, desperately trying to perform shunpo. She appeared in front of him, and cut his cheek with her small dagger. Then she threw her knee in the child's face and pushed him away. The boy's body got slammed against the altar. Shaking from the pain she had inflicted to him and the prospect of dying, he had to use the altar to help him standing up. When he looked around, he did not see _her_ immediately. When he saw her appear in front of him aiming her knife right between his eyes, he thought all had finished, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he was standing behind her. He did not let surprise slow his reaction and slashed his blade at her. She had been even more surprised by what just had happened, and could not evade the attack entirely. Crimson blood came out of a relatively shallow wound on her left leg.

Aware that he had missed his chance to kill her, he closed his eyes, waiting for the _coup de grace_, which surprisingly, did not come.

When he opened his eyes again, he was alone.

_Shunpo..._


	4. Zanpakutô

well, fourth chapter. hope you enjoy reading it.  
stating the obvious, Kubo Tite owns bleach, not me (the chances that anyone ever thought I owned bleach are close to none, I think, but whatever), and my friend Katjeschatje co-owns the original characters I do own.

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 4 – Zanpakutô

From that day on the daily fighting with _her _became relatively easier. Between the fights the young boy trained his shunpo, in order to be able to keep up with his enemy.

But no matter how hard he practiced, he did not manage to hit her even once since the first time he performed shunpo.

_This is crazy! No matter how hard I practice, I am unable to even scratch her! _

_I am convinced I am improving daily, though. My speed has at least doubled since my first shunpo! Are there no limits to that woman's abilities? She must be insanely strong! But if she is, why doesn't she just kill me off? _

_Maybe she is testing me, or something like that. _

_If so, I refuse to be some guinea pig! No Way!_

Knowing his enemy was bound to come attack him soon, he sat down and emptied his head. Combat now enveloped his entire mind, his entire _existence_.

Just as he predicted, he heard footsteps only several minutes after he had sat down.

He quickly grabbed his blade, and prepared himself for the battle to come.

_Today I'm going to draw her blood._

Suddenly, he was overcome by an emotion he could not describe.

_What is this feeling? It's like a mixture of bloodlust, rage, and...excitement?_

_I feel...powerful._

_This time, I'll make her taste defeat._

The very moment _she_ entered the room, he had already performed shunpo, and was slashing at her neck. She blocked with her dagger, and pushed the young boy away. He immediately reacted by jumping up, and used a pillar to kick himself towards her at high speed. Her dagger blocked his sword once again, but he used the opening his attack created to kick her in the face. The boy did not spill a single fraction of a second, and slashed at her chest. A dark red line was drawn across her body, going from her left shoulder to her right leg. The wound was bleeding.

A lot.

The child stopped moving, totally amazed by what he had just done.

_Blood._

_Maybe I will pull this off, after all!_

By the time the boy had started moving again, there was a significant distance between the two combatants.

"you will not beat Lady Yoruichi this easily, youngling!"

As soon as she had finished uttering these words, white lightning appeared around her arms and shoulders, blowing away part of her clothes.

"here's a piece of advice: you'd better not get hit by this, Hime-chan!"

_What the..._

Before he could lift so much as a finger, she, Yoruichi, stood before him, and punched him right in the stomach, shattering his sword in the process. The punch was so powerful it made him crash into a pillar located behind him, crumbling the pillar.

Searing pain was flowing through his body, and the child did not doubt even one second that a second hit would instantly kill him.

_I am really going to die this time._

_I'm sorry I let her destroy you, my loyal weapon. You have been my only comrade in my very short life, and I regret losing you like that. I should not have used you to block an attack you could not take._

_My deepest apologies._

At that moment, he felt something break inside himself. Not in his body, nor in his mind, but it seemed like a barrier in his very soul was broken down. Instinctively, he poured immense quantities of reiatsu into his blade.

The woman, or Yoruichi, as that was her name, had not sat down and watched him suffer. She was walking towards him, ready to finish him off with another of her lightning punches.

She thrust her arm forward, and punched him. There was a big sound, followed by an explosion that made the ground shake.

The child was standing in front of her, holding a short black sword. The sword was singing.

A song of Power and Death.


	5. Escape

well, Chapter 5.  
I didn't start owning bleach since I stated I did when uploading the last chapter. ergo, I think Kubo Tite still owns it.  
This having started as something of a joint project between my friend Katjeschatje and me, she owns the original characters as much as I do.

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 5 – Escape

The boy was standing in the middle of the cave, holding a short, black sword.

He was a little confused. This was perfectly justified, because only a few moments ago, a woman called Yoruichi had thrown a punch coated with white lightning at him, shattering his long katana and a few of his ribs. Yoruichi had then proceeded to put an end to his life using another of these punches, but had not succeeded in doing so.

The reason for this failure was that his sword had seemingly repaired itself, allowing him to fully repel her powerful attack.

Silence reigned as the two sworn enemies observed the blade, utterly stunned.

_What is this? What does this mean? I suddenly put all my reiatsu in my sword! Like all of it was being sucked in by it!_

_No._

_Like I had always known this was the way it should be done._

_And why is my sword shorter now?_

_I'm not complaining, it's surely easier to wield this way._

_I'll think about all of this later._

_For now, Focus._

Yoruichi was the first to snap out of her confusion. She immediately attacked, and the boy only barely managed to block her punch.

The boy was still aware of the fact that a second one of her light-coated punches would mean his undoing. He used shunpo to put some distance between himself and her. To his surprise, he found out his speed had increased incredibly since his sword's unsettling metamorphosis. She reappeared behind him, aiming a punch at his head. He easily dodged it, and managed to cut her cheek. He had been focused so much on dodging her punches, that her kick, aimed right between his eyes, connected. He was thrown backwards brutally. He disappeared before he even touched the ground, and reappeared right in front of her. She did not expect this, and he cut her with his sword, deepening the wound he had previously inflicted her. The pain brought her down on one knee.

_I'll finish her now!_

He brought his blade down, attempting to decapitate her, but she caught his hand and threw him towards the entrance to the cave. Taking the opportunity that had been placed before him, he quickly ran up the stairs. This took more time than he expected.

_How deep can this damn cave actually be?_

_Ah! I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel now!_

When he reached the top of the stairs, accustomed as he was to the darkness of the cave below, he was blinded by the sunlight.

Therefore, he failed to notice the two armed men that were guarding the entrance to the cave. one of them grabbed this opportunity and struck him in the back with his spear.

The boy, although blinded, had not lost his fighting instincts, and quickly grabbed the spear, striking with his sword at the guard holding it. the guard collapsed. His comrade ran away, asking for reinforcements.

The child ran, until he reached a stone wall, which he cut down using his sword. He then put it back in its scabbard, and hid the weapon under his clothes. He then heard voices and footsteps coming his way, so he fled into the forest, using shunpo after shunpo in order to shake off his pursuers.

When he had become too tired to go on immediately, he looked back to see if he had lost the people tracking him. This seemed to be the case.

What also was the case, was that he himself was lost.


	6. Trap

This is the sixth chapter, and I am attempting to steadily upload all of the chapters I currently have in finished form.  
I don't own bleach, of course, only the original characters, and so does Katjeschatje.  
I hope you enjoy reading this.  
I am noticing that my intro notes are both extremely similar, and extremely boring. maybe I should do something about that, although I don't really know how to cheer these disclaimers up without passing for an complete nutcase (which I probably already do, anyway).

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 6 – Trap

It took several days of seemingly endless wandering in order for the young child to get out of the forest. His throat was scorched, and his stomach was frequently shaken by pangs of hunger. When he had almost reached his physical limits, he arrived at a small, sloppy looking village. He saw two men discussing something, but he was unable to comprehend what exactly they were talking about. The taller one of the two had a long, black beard matching his hair, was wearing ragged clothes and was holding a wooden club covered with red stains. The other one had short, blond hair, was wearing seemingly new clothes, and had a much more intelligent look on his face.

When he approached the unlikely duo to ask for some water, the tall man kicked him in the stomach. He had seen the kick coming, but his body was too exhausted to react, and so the kick sent him rolling in the dust. This made his acolyte angry, and the blond man whispered something into his ear. Then he walked towards the young child and held out his hand to help him stand back up. He then said to him: "What is such a cute little child as you doing in Zaraki, the 80th district? Ah, but that doesn't matter, you must be dehydrated! Come, I'll give you some water and a bit of bread."

The child followed the man, unable to think of anything except the promise of water and food.

The blond man entered a rather big cottage on the outskirts of the village. Behind the cottage was a large storehouse.

_That construction must be used to store goods. That means this guy's a merchant. Nice of him to help me. That means that fair and generous people do exist, after all! I was hoping they were not all like _her_._

The two men led the young boy into a little room, and told him to sit down while he was going to get something to drink. The bearded man stayed in the room, but when his companion came back with some tea and rice, he left the room immediately, going straight in the direction of the storehouse. The young boy drank the tea and ate the rice happily, thanking the blond man ,who had introduced himself as Kotaro, for the food.

"come with me, I'll show you my house" He left through the same door the tall man had left an instant ago, beckoning the child to follow him. The child, who had recovered a little from his exhaustion, stood up and left with Kotaro. As soon as they had reached the storehouse, the door opened, and the man with the black beard came out. Kotaro made a gesture with his hand, and the tall man grabbed the boy by his ankle and lifted him up.

_What is happening? This isn't..._

Kotaro then said: "put him in the third box, Koya."

Koya then re-entered the store house, still holding the child firmly by the ankle, and threw him in a solid-looking cage. The boy hit his head against the steel bars, and lost consciousness.


	7. A Warehouse of Cruelty

well, I have started uploading (as you can see), and I think I finally mastered the art of uploading chapters in a more efficient manner, which normally would require a miracle, since computers do hot harbour kind feelings towards me, so I thought I'd just keep updating my stories until I go to sleep.  
I don't own bleach, but I do grow tired of stating this, as any livng creature, including amoebas, would have understood by now that I don't intend to make any erroneous claims at all.  
something which I might not have specified in earlier chapters, is that Katjeschatje, who owns the original characters of this story along with me, has published her own story featuring these characters. if you have enough free time on your hands to read this rather boring and essentially useless intro, maybe you could give it a try.  
well, that's it, I hope you enjoy!

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 7 – A Warehouse of Cruelty

When the boy regained consciousness, it took him a while to remember where exactly he was. When he did, he noticed some bread lying in the dirt near the cage's doors. He was hungry so he walked towards it. He was about to reach out to take it when he heard: "don't touch that! it's mine!". At that point he realized he was not locked up alone in the cage.

_Maybe he will be able to tell what is going on here. But can I trust him?_

_Well, if he's locked up like I am, he sure as hell isn't on the side of those who did this to me._

The young child looked at the other occupant of the cage, a child like himself, although older than him by a year or so. He had hair that was either brown, or blond and filthy, and he was wearing clothes that seemed like they had known better days a few centuries ago.

"I'm Sanjuroku, and it seems you are Gojusan," The child did not understand what the older boy was saying at first, but then he noticed the number 53 carved in crimson in his right hand.

"What is this place?" he asked Sanjuroku.

Sanjuroku calmly answered: "this is a storehouse. Here goods that are awaiting to be sold are stocked."

_Goods? Were not goo- _

He then looked around. The warehouse was full of cages very similar to the one he was in now, and the cages were, for the most part, filled with children, some of them still babies. The child saw a teenage girl attempting to comfort her little brother, despite being in tears herself. She had a deep knife wound in her left leg.

The young boy was completely submerged by a strong feeling of disgust, and he felt so nauseous that he puked on the floor. It took him a few minutes to get himself together, after which disgust was replaced by pure hate.

_This is inhuman! These children are being treated like animals! No! Worse even than Animals!_

He turned his attention back from his fellow prisoners to the older boy that was sharing his cell. "We need to get out of here!" he said.

Sanjuroku answered coolly. "I have a plan, but it does not involve little brats like you"

The boy answered: "Fine. By the way, how come nobody ever did anything against this injustice?"

"this far from Seireitei? You wish."

The child suddenly realized something.

"My sword! Where is it?"

Again, Sanjuroku answered in his calm, droning voice. "they searched you and took it before you woke up. Just before they did _that_" he said, pointing to the boy's right hand, where the number 53 was cut out.

_This is outrageous! But at least, I think I might be able to free these children. None of the guards seemed to be at _her_ level, so it should be okay. _

_But I still cannot believe humans would do this to their fellows. __They should be punished for their monstrosities._


	8. Retribution

while uploading the earlier chapters of my story, of which this is the eighth, I was able to remember and realize a lot of things about how I was at the time I wrote this. aah, nostalgia...  
Also, if you have been following this story from the beginning (I would feel very honored if that was the case), you might have noticed that the chapters are slowly getting less short. this will continue until they reach what I consider to be a decent length.  
I don't own Bleach, and I don't actually feel the need to. (although I sure could use the money)  
I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this.

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 8 – Retribution

The young boy was sitting on the ground, inside a very solid steel cage. If Sanjuroku, the cage's other occupant, had called out to him, he would not have noticed. The boy was lost in his own thoughts.

_I cannot break this cage without my sword. To have any chances of escape, I need the door to open. I am pretty sure I can beat the guards, but everything is futile if I cannot get out anyway. Sanjuroku told me he had a plan, but he isn't intent on telling me what it is. I'm sure that I could be a valuable asset to it, if he told me what his plan was about._

"Hey, Sanjuroku! Tell me what your escape plan is! I'm sure I can help you!" he whispered towards his cellmate.

"Help me? You? No way! And I won't tell you my escape plan, because it won't work if I have to drag a little brat with me. You'll see when I escape, if you're still around when I do."

That night, Sanjuroku started digging a hole in the ground. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing, and only a few seconds later he found what he was looking for: a bent piece of metal that looked vaguely like a key. He then put one end of the piece in the lock, and opened the cage's door. He silently opened it, and concealed himself in the shadows, soundlessly walking towards the storehouse's exit. The young boy was about to exit the cage as well, when the door fell back, putting the lock back in place. The young boy was now locked up once again. He sat down and started thinking, but he had not even started, or a bloodcurdling scream could be heard, quickly followed by the sound of someone taking a severe beating. Soon afterwards, a tall, muscular guard turned up, carrying a moaning charge. The guard opened the door and threw the charge, which turned out to be Sanjuroku, back into the cage.

_So much for his escape plan, huh._

As soon as Sanjuroku had touched the ground, the guard said: "Both of you will quit this place tomorrow. You have been bought by a certain Kurotsuchi Mayuri to be part of his scientific experiments. I hope you'll have fun!" The guard started to laugh. He did not finish his fit of laughter, though. The reason for this was that the young child had kicked him right in the face, sending him flying. The meat man's heavy body crashed into the cage behind him, bending the steel bars under his weight and the kick's power combined. Before he could stand up, the child was already standing next to him, and kicked him between the legs, after having taking the guard's keys. He looked back at his own cage. Sanjuroku was looking at him, a look of utter surprise and amazement on his face. The child started to unlock all the cages, and told the prisoners to get out immediately. The child led the prisoners towards the storehouse's back door, which was heavily guarded. One of the three guards noticed the fugitives and turned towards his comrades to inform them of the breakout attempt. He was unable to utter a single word, for the child had suddenly appeared in front of him, and kicked him in the throat, shattering his spine with the full force of the attack. He then grabbed the spear that the unfortunate guard was holding, and stabbed a second guard in the right lung with it. He then proceeded to kick the last guard to death out of pure rage. He opened the door using the keys he had taken from the guard that beat up Sanjuroku, and told the prisoners to run for their lives.

He himself, though, did not escape. He first slit the throats of all the unconscious guards, including the very first one, the one that allowed them to escape. Then he methodically killed every guard he found in the building, until he was sure there was no one left in the warehouse but him. He then moved on to the cottage, which was empty except for one room. The young boy kicked the room's door with enough power to send it flying through the window at the other side of the room. Inside the room were Kotaro and Koya. A grin covered the Koya's face, which faded immediately when the boy disappeared, grabbed his blade out of Kotaro's hands and impaled him on it.

_And now on to _you_, filthy merchant of injustice!_

He cut Kotaro's limbs off one by one, and stabbed him in the stomach, leaving him to bleed to death. Kotaro was bleeding profusely, and the boy used the slaver's blood to write a single word with it, before jumping out of the window and running away into the darkness of the night. The word he had written on the wall was: _Punishment_.


	9. Metsu

So, still uploading all the chapters I have at my disposal. this is chapter nine.  
I don't own bleach, you should know this already.  
As always, I hope you enjoy reading.

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 9 – Metsu

The young child looked back at the storehouse once before he ran into the forest, regretting not having had the means to set it on fire.

_That felt good. Both saving the children and ridding the world of some of its filth._

_What was very disturbing, is that Sanjuroku seemed to treat these inhuman acts of cruelty as being part of daily life. Does this mean that nobody is doing anything to prevent such monstrous deeds from happening? If that's the case, I must do something about it myself! But I don't have the power to protect everybody at once. _

_This means I have to find a way to obtain such power!_

The child used shunpo to run into the forest. He wandered aimlessly in it for a week or so, living off raw meat he hunted by himself and berries that were easy to find in the forest. Then he arrived at a small clearing, in which a house stood. The house was not very high, but it was very wide, as if it had been buildspecifically for making locating it difficult. There was a small pond in front of the residence. Next to the pond, a small girl was sitting on a log, throwing stones into the pond in a gloomy fashion. When the boy came a little closer, he noticed that she was crying.

He slowly walked up to the girl.

"hello." He said "why are you so sad?"

"leave me alone" she answered in a teary voice whilst throwing a rock at his face.

The boy caught the projectile with apparent ease and then used shunpo to appear right next to her. The girl was less surprised than he expected.

"you can do shunpo, huh. It's a surprise, coming from someone your age."

_This girl has potential. If she is taught properly, she will attain my level of power in no time._

_For now, I have more experience, but in a matter of months she could have caught up to me._

_But what am I thinking about. For now, all that matters is helping her, if I can._

"if you really want to know," she continued "I am sad because my mother is about to be executed for a heinous crime she did not commit. Don't you think I should have the right to be sad about it?"

"who are going to execute her?" the boy asked.

"the Shinigami, of course!" she retorted.

_Who are these Shinigami?_

"Who?"

"The Shinigami! Don't you know who they are? Have you been living your life in a cavern or something?"

_Yes, but that's not the point here._

"the Shinigami are going to execute her with the Sokyoku, and there is nothing I can do to prevent it! It's as if she was already dead!"

"what is the Sokyoku?"

"you really don't know anything, do you?"

"anyway," she continued "the Sokyoku is an execution's tool that has the power of one million Zanpakutô. And in case you don't know what a Zanpakutô is, a Zanpakutô is a Soul Cutter like you are hiding in your filthy, bloody clothes!"

_The Sokyoku has the power of one million of my swords?_

_This is the power I need!_

_Now I only need to get it, and I will be able to eliminate the very concept of evil!_

"I think I can help you save your mother" he said.

"really? You can? That's amazing!" she shouted, her mood clearing up a bit.

"By the way, my name is Kaize, what's yours?" she asked the boy.

The boy thought about it. He didn't have a name, actually.

He thought of Yoruichi, who called him "Hime-chan".

_No way in hell I'm going to take a name _she_ gave me as mine! Also, it means princess!_

_Who the hell would take me seriously with a name like that?_

He thought of Sanjuroku, who called him "Gojusan".

_That's out of the question too. I will not take a name that means nothing else than number 53. Also, the number has been given to me by some of this world's worst filth._

He thought of what a good name should be.

_I should have a name that is significant. One that stands for my quest to destroy all that is evil._

_Wait! To _destroy_ all that is evil! Very well then, that shall be my name._

"so? What are you called?" asked Kaize, a tone of impatience in her voice.

"My name?" asked the child "It's Metsu" he said in a determinate tone. "Metsu"


	10. Preparations

uploading again.  
I don't own bleach. actually, I don't own anything.  
I hope you enjoy reading!

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 10 – Preparations

Kaize and Metsu spent the following hours in the house's library, reading very old and expensive-looking books about laws, and discussing ways to save Kaize's mother.

_Not only do we need to convince these Shinigami that Kaize's mother is completely innocent, but we also need to get to the place of the execution, Sokyoku hill. I doubt the one who framed Kaize's mother will let us pass through just like that. Or even the Shinigami themselves, really. They are not going to let two kids go through to an execution ground like it is the most ordinary thing in the world. _

"say, Kaize" the boy began, "are you absolutely sure that your mother is innocent?"

She immediately responded. "obviously I am! I trust my mother! And I don't remember us being close enough for you to address me without honorifics!"

"I just meant to say that you could have been blinded by it. This could easily happen, for your judgment would be easily clouded due to your young age." Metsu retorted, slightly irritated.

"Hey! Do I need to remind _you_ that you are obviously younger than me?" she snapped back at him.

"Not in matters of experience, that much is fact. And may I ask _who_ exactly is bickering childishly?" he replied placidly.

"look," she said "this worthless, useless quarrelling does not lead us one step closer to saving Mother, so why don't you start coming up with a way to get to the Sokyoku without being delayed?"

_That will probably be a piece of cake._

_Heh! If these Shinigami are unable to stop filth from committing crimes even within their own territory, then they should be no match for me at all!_

His thoughts were interrupted by a tall man entering the room. He had black eyes, which matched his hair colour. Metsu did not know the man's identity, but he was surrounded by a familiar aura of sadness.

"F-Father! How did it go?" Kaize said.

"The date of the execution has been set. It's exactly fourteen days from now." He stated grimly. He then went on: "who is this person, and what exactly is he doing in our house?"

Before Metsu could even open his mouth to answer, Kaize answered: "His name's Metsu. He's helping me to save Mother."

"I won't tolerate you putting yourself in danger. Just let me handle things okay? If you find something important, tell me." He told Kaize. Then he turned towards Metsu. "now, young man, wouldn't it be time to go home?"

Metsu bleakly answered: "I never had a home to go to, except for the forest surrounding us."

"look, you cannot tell me you never had a home! Someone must have raised you! Do not tell me you were raised by wolves, because I won't believe it" said Kaize's father sarcastically.

"I raised myself" Metsu said blankly.

The man sighed.

"You can stay here for now, but do not think I am unaware of the fact that you ran away from home, and be sure that I will find your parents and bring you back to them!". Having said these words, The dark-haired man left the room.

The two children resumed their lecture.


	11. Deliberation

well, was a bit busy, so I couldn't update for a while.  
I promise the chapters will get longer later on.  
I hope you enjoy!

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 11 – Deliberation

The two young children searched the books again for around an hour, until they were interrupted by the library door opening again. A woman, evidently a foreigner, was standing in the entrance, carrying a tray of green tea. The woman had a very striking appearance. She was quite tall, had blond hair, and had blue eyes, matching her clothes. She walked through the room, still carrying the plate. Despite the fact that she looked stricken by grief, the way she walked certainly possessed elegance.

Elegance that was immediately shattered as she slipped, lost her balance, and fell flat on the floor, showering Metsu with boiling tea.

The woman immediately got up to her feet and bowed deeply in embarrassment.

"_toutes mes excuses_, Ojou-sama" she said. "I will make some new tea at once!"

She then hastily left the room, knocking over a pile of books on her way.

_Klutz._

"Sorry for that." Kaize said. "she is Sina, our family's maid. Very loyal, but sometimes... well, more like always, actually, a tad clumsy."

They were about to go back to work when Sina entered the room again, carrying a new tray of steaming tea. Before she could make any move, Kaize took the plate from Sina's hands and placed it upon a small wooden table.

While the two were drinking their tea, Kaize suddenly started talking. Even though, except for herself, Metsu was the only one in the room, it was not entirely clear who exactly she was talking to.

"Mother is very beautiful, you know, she has this really stunning silver hair, and she was very kind. I cannot believe she slaughtered all those Shinigami."

"Then someone must have framed her.", Metsu stated. "Do you have any ideas as to who framed her, or why that person did it?"

"I don't know who did it, but it might have a link to the Five Noble Houses, because one of the victims was the current head of the Kuchiki clan."

"What are these noble houses?" Metsu asked her.

"The Five Noble Houses are the highest-ranking families in Soul Society. My family, the Urura Clan, is one of them, as are the Kuchiki and Shihouin families. There is also lesser nobility, but the Five Noble Houses have the most political influence." She answered his question immediately.

_So, since they have that much influence, it would be logical that someone might want them out of the way. Then it is essential for the murderer's plans to have Kaize's mother executed._

_If so, we should absolutely prevent her mother from being put to death, in order to thwart this filth's plans._

"We should get back to work now, shouldn't we?"


	12. Solution to Salvation

well, since i am on an uploading roll, I will try to make the best of it.  
bleach is not my property, disclaimer which I hope will keep Kubo-sensei's lawyers at bay.  
I hope you enjoy reading!

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 12 – Solution to Salvation

During the next fourteen days, Kaize and Metsu compulsively investigated the library's books. Much to Metsu's disappointment and Kaize's grief, they were unable to find anything of significant use, and the execution was drawing near.

_I am afraid this does not bode well. We have to find a way to clear Kaize's mother of suspicion, or at least delay her execution._

Metsu turned a page in the book he was reading.

"_...The Sokyoku is an instrument of death of the highest of magnitudes. It's use as a means of punishment is therefore reserved to Captains having committed high treason. If the sentence is to be applied upon an offender being neither a Captain of the Gotei 13 nor a vilest traitor, then it is absolutely necessary and thus compulsory to..."_

Metsu stood up, closing the book. He then told Kaize:

"I'm going to the execution grounds"

She looked up from the book she was reading.

"You found something?", she asked, a ray of hope in her eyes.

"Maybe." Metsu said. "I'll tell you when I get back"

"Hey!" she shouted indignantly. "I'm not going to just wait here! I'm coming with you!"

"Look," Metsu calmly whispered. "Your father told you to stay out of harm's way. I do not believe he would appreciate you putting yourself in danger vainly."

"What do you mean in vain?" she shouted back at him. "You would not even find Seireitei, let alone the execution grounds!"

"Okay, but do not take any risks, necessary or not." He told her.

"I'll decide that myself, thank you." She then added: "I'm going to fetch my sword, I'll be back in a minute."

At the precise moment Kaize reached out to open the door, it flew open. In the doorway, the dark-haired man, Kaize's father, and the tall blonde woman were standing. The man's eyes were red, and had rings underneath them. He was shaking uncontrollably. He kissed his daughter, and both of them departed. He had not specifically said where, but that much was obvious. After Kaize had went and got her blade, both of them headed off towards Sokyoku Hill.

They were able to enter Seireitei with surprising ease, for the heavy doors were open, and the giant that was supposed to guard the entrance was nothing but an unrecognizable mass of blood and flesh. They pressed on, seemingly undisturbed by the sight.

They ran straight towards the hill, relieved that the Sokyoku had not yet awakened.

They were moving as fast as they could, when suddenly they ran into what seemed to be an invisible barrier. Behind it stood a man, wearing a pure white haori over the dark clothes that Metsu knew were the Shinigami uniform.

The Shinigami opened his mouth and said in a cheerful voice:

"good morning little children! I am afraid you cannot pass through just yet, therefore, as the captain of the 13th division of the Gotei 13, I will have to brutally slaughter you. Sorry for the inconvenience!"


	13. Death, Life, and Death Again

So, This is the thirteenth chapter, and also the last chapter of part one. I hope you enjoyed reading this story up till now.  
I don't know if you noticed, but some of my chapter titles are sometimes hard to link to the actual content of the chapter itself. this is mostly because when I think them up, my scatterbrained and slightly odd self jumps from one association to another, leading to titles that sometimes cannot be tracked back to what happens in the story.  
I will keep uploading as much as I can.  
I hope you enjoy reading this chapter too.

Part 1 – Early Childhood

Chapter 13 – Death, Life, and Death Again

_Let's have a quick look at the situation._

_Between me and the Sôkyoku, there are two obstacles: This man in front of me, and the barrier behind him. He just introduced himself as the captain of the thirteenth division of the Gotei 13, so that means he must be strong, maybe even at _her_ level. Now, I have no idea how to deal with this barrier, but the number one priority would be that Shinigami._

He had only just ended this line of thought, when Kaize whispered to him:  
"I know how to disable the Kidô barrier, cover me while I take care of it."

He could not even think of a ways to persuade her not to take such risks. She had already reached the barrier, and was pressing her palms on it, whispering under her breath.

Metsu was not the only one having noticed her actions; The captain had already unsheathed his sword, and was swinging it in her direction, aiming right for her head. Metsu used shunpo, and managed to block the attack.

_No palpable killing intent...he is clearly underestimating us. I should use this to my advantage._

Metsu quickly counterattacked with a head-cutting swipe of his own. The move, although well aimed and perfectly executed, did not have the desired effect. He nonchalantly blocked the strike with his blade, and pushed Metsu away casually.

"These are not the kind of skills that would mean the undoing of Captain Metori! You'll have to try harder, kid! That is, if you survive!"

Metsu ignored his opponents words, concentrating solely on the fight. He attempted to stab him with his sword, and when Metori blocked the strike as easily as before, he kicked him in the face. This proved as futile as both of the previous attempts. Metori then seemed to think it was his turn to attack, because he, almost carelessly, slashed at Metsu's arm, carving a deep gash in it. Crimson liquid immediately spurted out of it. Metsu ignored the pain that was spreading through his body, and poured more reiatsu into his sword. He swept his sword sideways, trying with all his might to cut one of his legs. He failed.

_The only good point is, that while I am fighting him, he is not targeting Kaize, and she can work on the barrier. Then I'll find a way to run for it. I don't like fleeing, but I have a more important objective, and as soon as the Sôkyoku is mine, I will be able to make mincemeat out of this man, captain or not._

He risked a quick look at Kaize. She was still chanting, palms pressed against the barrier, her eyes tightly shut.

_I need to buy her some more time, but the way this is going, I'll be dead within seconds!_

_I have to do something, and do it fast!_

At that moment, Metori cut his right cheek. He was bleeding profusely. He then alternated shunpo and attacks, focusing more on speed, in order to find an opening. This enabled him to block most of Metori's strikes, but did not inflict any damage to his foe.

He kept this up for as long as he could, hoping that the barrier would be broken soon. This did not seem the case, for it seems as though she had not moved one bit since the last time he had looked.

He pushed harder, trying to hit the captain, but failed again nevertheless. He gave his all, and was incredibly surprised to see an opening appear. It was clear that Metori was underestimating them. He slashed, swiping his sword towards Metori's skull.

His attack, as fierce as fierce can be, did not reach its destination. Metori's right hand, the hand that was not holding his blade, grabbed Metsu's blade bare-handed. At that point he heard Kaize shout:

"hold him!"

Fast as lightning, he grabbed the captain's hair and neck, dropping his sword, and held on to him. Behind Metori, Metsu saw Kaize's arm glow, and a immense flash of light. There was an explosion, and Metsu felt himself being thrown away. When he was up to his feet again, he saw a burned haori, still smoking, and Metori, who was bleeding. He did not try to finish him, instead he ran towards Sôkyoku hill, having noticed the great fiery phoenix-like bird that was illuminating the sky.

At the precise moment they reached the execution grounds, the great bird dived towards the figure of a woman, who was suspended in the sky, and hit her, pulverizing her instantly.

Kaize's mother, Urura Yui, had died.


	14. Retrospection

So, I am still uploading the chapter I have at my disposal right now.  
This is the first chapter of part 2, and this part is written in first person narrative, mainly because I thought it would help, and also because I felt like a change, I have to admit.  
I still haven't succeeded to amass enough money in order aquire the rights to bleach, so I guess I don't own it.  
Well, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter too.

Part 2 – Gotei 13

Chapter 1 – Retrospection

I never thought I would ever do something as write my biography or memoirs, but there is a fairly good reason as to why I am doing it nonetheless. To keep this account in chronologic order, I will explain that later on.

I think the best moment to start would be when we arrived at the execution grounds, intent on saving Kaize's mother, and in my case, to get my hands on the Sôkyoku, the supreme tool for implementing death sentences. We were both exhausted to the point of collapsing, and on top of that, I was severely wounded. We had just fought a captain of the Gotei 13, who was trying to kill us, but we managed to pass by him. At the moment we arrived, Kaize's mother was crushed by the sheer power of the Sôkyoku.

I heard Kaize scream, and saw her fall to her knees. The whole world became blurred, and it took me a while to recover. When I did, I noticed we were surrounded by Shinigami, who were pointing their swords at us. I tried to ignore them best as I could, and asked if I could say something. Then I told them that according to their own laws, if a condemned person is to be executed by the Sôkyoku, while not being of captain rank, a more complete investigation is needed, one including the backgrounds of anyone involved, no matter who. When I had finished, all went black, and I collapsed.

I woke up later in a hospital bed. After a few moments a nurse came in.

She told me I had some broken ribs, in addition to the wounds obtained from fighting Metori. She also kept me informed about the investigation that was being carried out. After a few days of recovery, she said the following to me:

"you were right for requesting this investigation. It seems that captain Metori was behind all of this. Unfortunately, he killed his own lieutenant, and escaped."

I was a little disappointed by the news of his escape, but it did not surprise me very much. A guy able to grab hold of my sword barehanded would not be an easy foe.

I was not allowed to leave my room, so I spent a lot of time thinking. I felt very bad about the way Metori had been overpowering me, and I had never felt so weak. I wanted to get stronger, more powerful, but had no idea how exactly.

One day, a Shinigami came to talk to me. He told me he wanted me to become Shinigami, and that I would be trained at some school for Shinigami, and become really strong. He told me to think about it.

I was pretty sure that I would accept their offer.

I was about to be proved otherwise.


	15. Breakdown

Well, due to some rather pressing matters regarding my studies, I haven't found the time to continue uploading.  
To those that have been reading this since the beginning, thank you very much, and I hope you don't think this is a waste of time.  
the story is far from over, though.  
Kubo Tite owns Bleach, not me, you should know this by now.

Part 2 – Gotei 13

Chapter 2 – Breakdown

I spent the following days lost in my thoughts.

I was thinking about the offer the Shinigami made me the other day. He had asked me to join Shinigami Academy, and become Shinigami. I did not know much about this school, but according to him, it would make me stronger.

That was enough to satisfy me. Obviously, my fight with Metori was still haunting me, clearly showing me my own lack of abilities.

I had made up my mind.

I wanted to join this school for Shinigami, become Shinigami, and enforce justice, clearing the world of filth.

Then one day I heard from the nurse that there were some Shinigami outside that wanted to speak with me. Deep inside, I felt excited – hey, I was a child after all.

I let them in, and a light-haired female Shinigami started talking.

"I trust that you have been offered a place at Shinigami Academy, haven't you?"

I nodded.

"This is exactly the reason we are here today" she said. Then she proceeded. "in the context of the Urura Case, we have investigated you."

I stayed silent, not knowing what to expect.

She went on. "It was very hard to trace your origins, for many of the people who had encountered you have either disappeared or died. But we have been able, with considerable efforts, to find out where exactly you came from. It turns out you are the adopted child of Shihouin Yoruichi, Shihouin Hime."

"Name's Metsu, woman" I grumbled.

She continued as if she had not heard.

"It turns out Lady Yoruichi does not agree with your enrolling at Shinigami Academy, and wishes you to return to her care. Since she is your legal guardian, it is only natural that she wants to have you back. Thus, as soon as you are deemed fit to leave the hospital, you will be placed back in her care."

I could not believe my ears. Instead being offered a chance to change the world, I had to return to a life of torture, physical as well as mental, humiliation and loneliness. I tried to protest, but I could not utter a sound.

"On a side note" she started "the girl that was with you when you at the execution, Urura..."

"Kaize", I said in a gloomy tone

"yes, Kaize. She and her family went into exile, because we did not have enough proof to clear Urura Yui of all the charges held against her, and consider her innocent."

This made me even more unhappy. It seemed all I had done up till now was in vain. Kaize's mother was not cleared of suspicion, Metori, the actual culprit, was roaming freely, and I had to go back to _Her._


	16. Lady Yoruichi's Training from Hell

So, if I am uploading, I'd better upload as much as I can, right?  
this is the 16th chapter, there are still a lot more to come!  
I don't happen to own Bleach, Kubo Tite does.

Part 2 – Gotei 13

Chapter 3 – Lady Yoruichi's training from Hell

I was totally dumbfounded. The news, brought by the fast-talking female Shinigami, had just thrown my life upside down.

Not only had I heard that my efforts to save Urura Yui had been completely fruitless, but I was not allowed to enrol at Shinigami Academy, and on top of that, I had to go back living with _her_. How much nastier could it get? Experience had taught me never to ask myself that very question.

The days before the bad news I had spent wondering why time passed so slowly. On the other hand, the days after said news, the ones separating me from my dreaded reuniting with _her_, passed at incredible speed, as if time had learnt Shunpo.

I was told I was fit enough to leave the hospital. Then two Shinigami took me to _her_ place. I considered killing them and running for it, but I was not sure if I could, taking my injuries into account.

Yoruichi seemed very relieved to see me. I did not know if she was acting or not. I thought she might have missed her favourite torturing object. I was overflowing with hate. If I escaped again, like last time, I would still be unable to join Shinigami Academy or become stronger, more powerful.

The two Shinigami had left, and we were alone in the room. I was ignoring her, concentrating on my tea. She cleared her throat, as if she wanted to say something. I didn't care one bit. I hated her so much, that I was overwhelmed by a great wave of killing intent.

"my, my, Hime-chan, no need to get this angry" she said, a large smile on her face. I ignored her, resisting the urge to chop her into very tiny pieces.

"you must be very frustrated, are you not? Being a weakling and all. And I who was about to offer you a chance to become stronger!"

I did not answer, but it was clear she had noticed my sudden interest.

She went on. "you know, you attained your current level of power, however low it may be, during the time you spent here. So you should become a little less weak if you stay here, you know"

I did not answer, but I was surprised. I had not thought of this before.

I was about to say 'really?" when she hit me straight in the neck, and I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, all was darkness. But it was familiar darkness.

I was back in the cave again.

I waited a little, in order for my eyes to grow accustomed to the lack of light. I started doing push-ups, using Shunpo, slashing stalagmites until nothing but dust was left. Then I heard her coming down. I was determined to not only defeat her, but to wipe the floor with her to the extent that she would be utterly humiliated.

She entered, shouted: "you ready, Hime-chan?" and appeared in front of me, her arms glowing with lightning. She then said:

"surely you did not think I was fighting at full power that last time?"

And she punched me in the gut.

Once again, all went black.


	17. Of Power and Pain

Still continuing my uploading streak.  
Still don't own Bleach.  
I sincerely hope you enjoy reading.

Part 2 – Gotei 13

Chapter 4 – Of Power and Pain

Before I met Kaize, when I was living with _her_, I used to think that my life in the cave was as miserable as could be, with its lot of torture, fighting, and suffering in general.

Now I had returned to her place, and resumed living with her, I was – I still am! – convinced that that life was nice and cosy compared to what I had to endure now I had come back.

At first, I believed it would not be very different from what I had to go through before. Actually, the first days we did not do anything different from before my escape. I was just alternating my fights to the death with _her_ with training my power and speed on my own.

One day (Or night, as I had lost all sense of time, due to there being no light in the cavern), when she came down, and I fiercely attacked her, she did not fight back. She only blocked my killing blows, and with apparent ease, I have to add. Then she easily immobilized me, and hit me in the neck. I had lost consciousness before I even felt the pain.

When I woke up, I noticed two things: first, the cave I was in was different. it was lit by candles, and significantly smaller than the previous one. Second, I was hanging in the air, chains holding me at the wrists and ankles. I tried to break free, but no matter how much Reiatsu I poured into my muscles, the shackles held on. I saw my sword lying on the stone floor right in front of me, next to some very bloody rags that could barely be called clothes anymore.

It was then that I noticed I was naked.

I was clearly unable to break the chains, and these same chains made me incapable to do anything at all, so there was nothing else to do but wait.

It would be lying if I said I was not feeling any fear at this point. I was a little afraid, for I had never been in a situation of such helplessness ever before.

After what seemed like an eternity, someone entered this cave. I could not see him or her clearly, but it was clear, however, who this person was.

She came up to me, and, contrarily to what I expected, stayed silent. She then whispered in my ear: "are you ready, Hime-chan?"

I did not have the time to wonder what exactly she meant by these words. She punched me in the stomach. I saw her arms were glowing with lightning. I felt an near irrepressible urge to pass out, but I fought against it with all my might, convinced that fainting while chained up and helpless like I was, and in _Her_ presence, to make it worse, would be the worst idea ever. I barely managed to stay conscious.

She smiled. She then said to me: "I see you are catching on pretty quick, huh, Hime-chan?" She punched me again, and in the same place, to make it worse.

Normally, you would expect the second time to hurt as much as the first, if not less. This is not the case. I was overwhelmed with intense pain, making my whole body writhe. I could not stand it anymore, and screamed out. My crying ended abruptly, because she had pushed all the air out of my lungs. She then shook her head, still smiling, and said: "no, no, this won't do at all, my dear Hime-chan, not at all"

She ran her fingers up my torso, and pulled a small, sharp-looking knife out what seemed to be nowhere. She then mercilessly thrust it into my right nipple.

Then she punched me in that same spot again. I coughed up a fair amount of blood, and cried out in pain once again. "my my, Hime-chan seems not to understand the purpose of this game. Showing your pain is prohibited. If you do, such as now, punishment is required!"

And she plunged her little dagger in my other nipple.


	18. Guinea Pig

This is the 18th chapter, there are still a lot of chapters ready for upload.  
I apologise for making you wait so long, even though I have a lot of chapters ready.  
Bleach isn't mine...yet.  
I hope you enjoy reading!

Part 2 – Gotei 13

Chapter 5 – Guinea Pig

Pain. Agony. Torture.

I always wondered how such short little words could ever hope to convey the profound and ominous meaning they had. The answer is terrifyingly simple, yet striking.

They Can't.

I have also always wondered why the amount of words to describe painful, sorrowful, or otherwise unpleasant things was vastly superior to the amount of words to describe their pleasant counterparts.

To be honest, I am fairly reluctant to relate these events, who certainly do not count as the one of the most pleasant in my life.

This vicious _Game_, as she called it, went on for what seemed to be a outrageously long time. She continuously hurt me by inflicting injuries in the most nasty ways known to mankind (that is, assuming she actually is human). If I made even the slightest moan, I would be hurt more as a means of punishment. Obviously, I was not allowed to show my suffering during the punishment either. I had to fight fierce, ferocious internal battles to force my body to stay silent and still while enduring terrible pain. I had been very naïve in my belief that I would get accustomed to the pain after a while; on the contrary, it seemed to get worse and worse every damn second. I started bleeding from the most surprising places, and cried tears of blood alarmingly frequently. This was quite shocking, for I had not cried a single time during my entire life before.

I felt Helpless. Insecure. Weak.

I had to be fed by her, because the chains prevented me from eating by myself.

I started getting headaches more and more often. I did not care much about why I got them, although I did wonder why I was able to feel a headache while plenty of other, stronger, pain signals were entering my brain.

The _Game_ went on for what seemed to be two or three eternities. The headaches started being more and more frequent, hurt more, and lasted longer. One day, after a particularly gruesome session, while I was agonizing and she sat down, eating an apple and smiling, I felt like my head was going to burst. One part of me was hoping it would, as it would free me of this torture. I then lost consciousness. When I came to my senses again, a few minutes later, I felt better than I had ever felt before during the _Game_. I looked down at my torso, and noticed that I had been stabbed with my own sword. I felt the pain, but strangely it did not seem to matter. She came up to me, and slapped me in the face. Again, I felt it, but did not really care, as if it was not my own body that was being hurt.

I hit her back. She smiled even more, and quietly left.

I then noticed that I had broken my chains without even thinking about it.

Then, many months' worth of abuse and mistreatment overcame me in the form of an intense fatigue, and I fainted.

I woke up again.

I still wonder why it is that I seemed to spend most of my time with her, or my whole childhood in general, actually, fainting and waking up.

After having spent a fair amount of time naked, the sensation of wearing clothes was actually a little weird. I noticed that I was completely healed, and that there was not so little as a scar left to prove that I had indeed been tortured.

I looked around me, noticing that I had been moved to the larger cave, and saw a little basket containing some food, next to my blade, on the now familiar altar.

I heard _her_ footsteps coming down the stairs, as I had expected I would. Conform to my expectations as well, we started fighting as soon as she passed the doorway.

I did not succeed in wounding her, not even slightly, while she lightning-punched me twice. Oddly, the pain, although quite present, did not affect me very much, if not to say _at all_.

"Do you feel it, Hime-chan?" she said. It turned out not to be an actual question, as she immediately went on. "from now on, you will be able to fight at the same, although pathetic, level, until you die, since physical pain does no longer influence your body! Aren't you happy, Hime-chan?" she ranted on, either very happy with what she had done to me, or just explaining the effects of her sadistic _Game_ on my body and soul. "of course, it does not mean you won't _feel_ pain, but you are now able to prevent it from affecting you! And it does not mean you will be able to beat me, either!" she then proceeded to beat the living daylights out of me with disconcerting ease.


	19. Shinōreijutsuin

So, this is chapter 19 of this fanfiction, based on Bleach, and awesome series I don't own.  
I hope you will enjoy this chapter.

Part 2 – Gotei 13

Chapter 6 – Shinōreijutsuin

I spent the remaining years of my training fighting _her_ on a daily basis, which allowed me to improve my skills greatly. I learnt how to use kidô, and this ability made me able to perform Shunkô, the lightning-punch technique she so frequently used on me. In addition to that, I was able to multiply my power, and especially my speed many times. I was able to hold my ground against _her_, although I suspect she was not using full power during those daily fights. These same fights also offered very valuable experience. One day, she told me she was fed up with my weakness and my inability to learn, and told me that if I still wanted to join the Shinigami, I could go, the reason being that if I fought different opponents than _her_, I might be able to improve a little. I gladly accepted, happy to leave her presence, convinced that she was an evil, sadistic and vile bitch.

When I left the cave , after I recovered from being blinded by the sunlight, I noticed the guards were feeling very uneasy in my presence. I quickly found out it was because I was unable to repress neither my Reiatsu, nor my killing intent. I spent the following days fixing this, while waiting for my letter of application to be answered. I took the entrance exam, and had top scores, which I had expected, since I was the only one out of all the applicants who had already had any form of intensive training.

At last, the first day at the academy had arrived. I put on the academy's uniform, and was amazed by how clothes that were not stained with blood felt.

Before the classes began the headmaster of the academy gave a shockingly long-winded speech. I only listened half-mindedly, and muttered to myself: "I feel weird, excited and afraid at the same time". A female voice coming from behind me answered: "you sound like a schoolgirl".

"SHUT UP!" I snapped back at her. Everybody looked my way. I felt embarrassed, and did not say a word.

I continued to feign listening to the headmaster's speech, while lost in my thoughts. For a long-winded and monotone speech, it ended surprisingly abruptly. Because I had not been paying enough attention, I failed to notice when it had ended, and before I realized, I was the only one left in the assembly hall.

Seireitei is huge, and built like a maze. I had already noticed this fact when Kaize and I attempted to rescue her mother. What I was yet unaware of, is that Shinigami Academy is built in that very same fashion. Thus, when I set out to find my classroom, I, and astoundingly quickly at that, got lost.

When I stopped to try and find out where I was, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was startled, and looked around. In front of me stood a young woman with very long black hair, and blue eyes. She smiled at me. "Lost your way, haven't you?" she asked nicely. "Since you have missed the class already, won't you come drink a cup of tea with me?"

The woman had long black hair, which she wore in a large braid. She was not too tall, and, as I noted before, had blue eyes. She radiated kindness, but an underlying aura of power told me she was far from weak. I was unable to refuse her request, and I followed her. She led me to a abandoned room. It was soberly decorated, and in its center stood a little wooden table. On it were two cups, and a set of tea-making equipment.

We both drank our tea. It had a bitter taste, but was very relaxing. We both talked together. I felt very at ease in her presence, and felt I could trust her.

She introduced herself as Unohana, and said she worked in the 4th division. I was surprised, to say the least, because as from what I had heard, the 4th division was not exactly known for its power.

I graduated from Shinigami Academy in two months. During these two months, I frequently visited Unohana-san, and we both drank tea together. I came to trust her so much, I confided things in her I had not told to anybody else at all.

When I was about to be assigned to a squad, I sent a letter to the commission deciding this, asking them to assign me to the 4th division. I convinced myself that I had done this to annoy Yoruichi, but deep inside I knew I wanted to join because I admired Unohana-san.


	20. Gotei 13

So! This is the 20th chapter already, and also the end of part 2 of this story!  
If you have been reading this from the beginning, and maybe even appreciating it, thank you very much! you've made me very happy!  
Just for good measure, I will mention that the series Bleach, on which this story is based, does not belong to me, but to the mangaka Kubo Tite.  
I hope you will enjoy this chapter too!

Part 2 – Gotei 13

Chapter 7 – Gotei 13

Only a week after I had sent my request, I received a letter telling me I had been given the post of 7th seat of the fourth division. The letter instructed me to present myself in the captain's office later that day. I was very happy to be in the same company as Unohana-san, but was a little surprised at the fact that my request had actually been met. Did I have that much influence?

I was very bouncy for the rest of the day, excited as I was. I had felt excited and afraid on my first day at Shinigami Academy, but those feelings were reduced to nothing compared to how I felt the day of my assignment. I went to the captain of 4th division's office, and was about to knock on the door, when it opened, and a young man came out, running right into me. We both fell over.

The young man had a very young, innocent face. On his arm, I saw a lieutenant's insignia. I quickly stood up, and helped him do the same. He looked at me, and stuttered: "w-who are you? Oh, you are our new s-seventh seat, aren't you?" he pointed at the door. "Go right in, don't keep your captain waiting!" he then swiftly walked away, falling again twice.

I entered the room, and to my surprise I saw Unohana-san sitting at a desk, wearing the white captain's haori over her Shihakushô."U-U-Unohana-san!" I stammered, stuttering as much as the young vice-captain I had just met.

She smiled, and calmly said: "tut-tut! It's Unohana-Taichô now, isn't it?" I was too dumbstruck to answer. As I had not answered, she continued, still smiling. "Well, I assume, you have met my lieutenant, Yamada Hanatarô-kun?" I nodded. "now," she went on "you will start your work as our seventh seat next Monday, so why don't you use the weekend to familiarize yourself with the squad and the Seireitei in general?" She smiled again.

I left the office.

I walked around the fourth squad barracks for a while, looking around. Then I decided to find a place to eat something, and left. As soon as I set foot outside of the barracks, two Shinigami approached me. Both of them were heavily built, and had weird hairstyles. I ignored them, for I was hungry, and wanted to find some food quickly. They followed me for a while, until one of them blocked my path, and said to his friend: "got balls huh? Ignoring us 11th division members!"

"I bet it's a new recruit" said the other. "let's teach him who's boss here!"

He punched at my stomach. I grabbed his arm, and quickly broke it. I then jumped, and kicked the other one in his face, throwing him against the wall behind him. I then resumed finding a place to eat.

I soon found out, over the course of my work as seventh seat, that life in the court squads was far from easy. On top of learning the art of healing, I had to do relief work, which mainly consisted of cleaning things. The latter proved less easy than it might seem. I still regularly drank tea with Unohana-taichô. I was a little confused in regard to my feelings towards her. At first I believed to be in love, which would have been stupid as well as disastrous. There would be nothing worse for my plans to cleanse the world than falling in love. In time I found out that I considered Unohana-taichô as some sort of mother figure, due to never having had a mother before. It is true that she did care for me, and frequently asked me, when we were drinking tea together, how I was doing. I had not told her about the two 11th division members I had beaten up, but I had a feeling that somehow she knew.

One day, I was summoned to her office. I knocked on the door, and her voice told me to come in. Once I had entered, she bade me to sit down in front of her. She started talking, in the firm, but kind tone she usually used. "Metsu-kun,"

She is the only one who calls me Metsu, and I am grateful for that. All the others keep calling me Shihouin-san, which kind of pisses me off. Anyway, she continued:

"I have been observing you lately. You try your best at healing and working, and are really determined, but as I have concluded from our conversations, you are a warrior in your heart. I do not think this squad is where you belong, and I believe the two Shinigami whom you beat the stuffing out of would agree with me." She smiled a little mischievously, then continued. "This is not a bad thing, mind you, it's just that you will be more of use to the Shinigami as a fighter. Therefore, I have agreed to your nomination to the post of 4th seat of the 11th company."

"Eleventh company?" I asked, surprised. She nodded, then smiled.

"Yes, Unohana-Taichô" I answered.

"Of course," she added, "if you ever feel like drinking a cup of tea, don't hesitate to come visit me sometimes!" she blinked, and her smile widened.

Just like I had done when I joined the fourth division, I went straight to the captain's office. I knocked, and a slightly grumpy voice told me to enter. In the office were three Shinigami, one female, one male, and one that looked a little in between.

The latter one had blue hair, had colored feathers attached to his eyebrows, and was contemplating his reflexion in the mirror. The man was bald, even though he was still young, and had a good amount of killing intent and Reiatsu leaking out of him. The last one, the female, who was wearing the captain's haori, turned out to be a young child, with bubblegum-pink hair. She shouted at me:

"Who are you?" I introduced myself. "get out!" she shouted again. The bald man then stood up, and whispered something in her ear. "Ah!" she said cheerfully. "you're our new 4th seat, I see. He (she pointed at the bald man) is my vice-captain, Baldy, and he (she pointed at the blue-haired man) is my 3rd seat, Yumi-chan. Yumi-chan, Baldy, this is our new 4th seat, Hime-chan!"

"excuse me" I interjected, "my name is Metsu, not Hime"

The girl pouted. "but Hime-chan is waaay cuter!"

I was about to protest, when Baldy said to me: "just give up. Once she's decided on a nickname, nothing will change her mind. Oh, by the way, my actual name is Madarame Ikkaku" and, while pointing to the blue-haired man, who had been too absorbed by his own reflexion in the mirror to notice what had been going on, he added: "and his name is Ayasegawa Yumichika"

"And who is this little girl?" I asked. "she is the captain of 11th company, Kusajishi Yachiru", Ikkaku stated calmly. He then went on: "more importantly, do you want to fight me?"

I spent the vast majority of my time in the 11th division fighting and training. It turned out that 11th company's sole purpose was battle, so there was not much work to do. Ikkaku told me, after I had easily beaten Yumichika during sparring, that the major reason I had not been made 3rd seat was because Yumichika absolutely hated the number four, while he loved the number three. I replied it did not matter, as I thought four was way more beautiful than three.

After all, Four means Death.

At the start of this tale, I had promised I would explain why I am writing this.

There is a very simple reason for that. I am writing this because I am locked up in a high level security cell in the Maggot's Nest right now, and it's the only thing keeping me from going completely insane.


	21. Maggot's Nest

Hello, to everyone reading this!  
I finally update again, after quite a long time, even though I had this chapter for a long time. sorry.  
I really need to get a sense of discipline. ah well.  
Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite, the original characters are owned by Katjeschatje and Yours Truly.  
Enjoy the first chapter of part 3, those who are still reading this!

Part 3 – All's Fair in Love and War

Chapter 1 – Maggot's Nest

Deep underground, on a bed that seemed like it was made to prevent any sleeping, a young man was resting. His sleep was very agitated, and this caused him to fall off the bed. The young man woke up, and moved calmly towards a small, fragile wooden table, on which a piece of parchment was lying. He wrote on it for a short while, then signed, using the name Metsu.

The young man, Metsu, sighed.

_Right. Now I have finished writing my memoirs, what else could I do to keep me occupied? Maybe I should write letters to my relatives, and ask the warden if he could send them for me? Yeah Right. Like I have any relatives. Or anything to tell them, for that matter. I wish something would happen. Anything, really. Anything that would keep me from going totally insane out of boredom. How long do they plan to keep me here?_

At this moment, a Shinigami approached his cell. Opened a little locket in the door, and pushed something that might have been a lunch in an earlier life inside.

Metsu reluctantly ate the food, trying to ignore the messages of protest his taste buds were sending him. After he had finished, he sat down on the floor, and closed his eyes, emptying his mind of all but one thought.

Battle.

He felt he needed to stay sharp, even though he was in an underground prison cell with only faint chances of ever seeing any daylight.

He had been meditating for an hour or so, when footsteps could be heard approaching his cell. Metsu, lost in his inner world, remained completely oblivious to the sound. He did hear the knocking on his door, though, as well as the voice calling out to him, and the sound of the cell's door being opened. He ignored these sounds, as well as the person from which they were originating. Had he bothered to look at this person, he would have noticed that she, for the person was a woman, bore a striking resemblance to another woman he knew, one who still frequently haunted his nightmares.

She had a tanned skin, yellow eyes, and short, purple hair. Having realized she was being ignored by the red-haired youth, she slapped him. Hard.

"Listen when talked to, Shihouin Hime!" she yelled at him.

He looked at her, and his eyes widened. He had realized how much this woman reminded him of his hated elder sister, Yoruichi.

She regained countenance, and said:

"Do you, Shihouin Hime, know why you were locked up in this facility?"

He shook his head. The guard that had opened the door grabbed Metsu by his long red hair, and pulled it. He shouted: "Answer when Shihouin Sayuri-taichô asks you a question!"

_Ah. So they're related._

Sayuri smiled, but told the guard to leave the cell. She then went on:

"You are here today because the Council of Chuô decided you were potentially a great threat to Soul Society. I am here today because, to my great regret, one captain, Unohana-taichô, vouched for you, and you might be released."

He was surprised and touched. Surprised that he was actually going to be released. Touched that Unohana-taichô thought highly enough of him to bother negotiating his release.

He stayed silent, and so did Sayuri, until one of them broke the silence, and rather violently at that.

"Damn you!" Sayuri yelled. In surprise, he looked at her, noticing she was starting to cry. She went on, her voice shaking with anger and sadness. "I was doing just fine before you appeared in my life!"

_Excuse me? I don't remember having ever met you before? What could I possibly have done to you?_

"Before you came barging in, I was very happy. I was to succeed Lady Yoruichi as head of the Shihouin clan, and I was about to marry the man I loved. But then she adopted you, some child she found god knows where, and said you were to be the Heiress instead of me!"

"Umm...Heir?" he interjected. She did not seem to notice he had said something, and ranted on undisturbed.

"And then my fiancé refused to proceed with the marriage, because I was not the Heiress, and I never spoke to him again! And all that because of YOU!" she shouted, tears coming out of her eyes.

_Umm...what should I do now? I don't think saying something to her right now would ameliorate things. On the contrary, it might very well make things worse. _

Metsu did not have the time to work out what he should do, because she had thrown a punch at his face, which he barely dodged, pushed him against the wall, and was starting to strangle him, all the while still crying.

He started to get out of breath, and was trying desperately to find something to say to calm her down...before he would not be able to say anything at all. When he proved unable to find any solutions, he did the first thing that came to him.

He punched her.


	22. The Woes of a Princess to be

Well, since I actually got around to uploading, I might as well, try and make the most of it, right?  
This is chapter 2 of part 3, the 22nd chapter in total, and Bleach is still owned by Kubo Tite. surprising, isn't it?  
Have a fun time reading!

Part 3 – All's Fair in Love and War

Chapter 2 – The Woes of a Princess-to-Be

Metsu was looking at a young woman, dressed in a Shihakushô that made clear she was a member of the Onmitsukidô, and which was complemented by a pure white haori with the number two on its back. Her features were very familiar to him, for she resembled Yoruichi, Metsu's sibling, a person he would like to see dead. She was lying on the floor, her lip bleeding.

_Damn__._

_And now what? I just hit a captain! _

_This is so not going to help me getting out of this place._

She moaned and got up again, looking at Metsu as if he had been a bloodthirsty psychopathic murderer. She whispered, a shocked tone in her voice.

"you...hit me." she resumed staring at him blankly, then, after a while, she burst out:

"nobody ever hit me before! How dare you! You have ruined my entire life! It's all your fault!" she shouted at him, her voice shrill from anger. Since Metsu stayed silent, she went on. "everybody has been shunning me and treating me like trash since you became the next in line to be Head! You have no idea how hard it was – and still is!"

Exhausted from her long rant, she paused, finally noticing Metsu was standing right in front of her. He slapped her, and coldly said:

"you are nothing but a spoiled, egocentric brat. The only thing you can do is blame others for things you did not have the courage to solve by yourself. Do you really believe your position as Heiress was the only thing your fiancé cared about? I am sure he left you because you gave up on him in the first place! And now you don't have the guts to talk to him and sort things out, so you run away from your problems by blaming me for them, instead of facing them! You need to get a hold of yourself, Shihouin Sayuri!"

She raised her hand to her left cheek, which had turned red, while still staring vacantly at Metsu. Then tears started rolling down her cheeks, and she fell to her knees, crying silently.

It was at that moment that the guard came back in. He shot a hateful look at Metsu, and then escorted Sayuri out of the cell.

A few weeks passed. Weeks that seemed years to Metsu, who, incarcerated as he was, did not have many activities. One evening, the door opened, and a guard threw a letter to Metsu's feet. While he bent down to pick it up, the guard said coolly: "read it". Then he left the cell.

Metsu opened the letter. It said the following:

_To: Shihouin Hime, former 3__rd__ seat of 11__th__ company_

_Thanks to Captain Unohana Retsu's efforts to negotiate your release you will be dismissed from the detention centre known as the "Maggot's Nest". Furthermore, Captain Shihouin Sayuri of 2__nd__ company has requested you join her division. Thus, you have been appointed 3__rd__ seat of 2__nd__ division._

_Arai Misaki, Head of the Department of Administration of the Council of Chuô_

Metsu read the letter again. And once more. He then packed his meagre possessions into an used bag, and knocked on his door. The guard opened it, and escorted him out. At the exit he was given his zanpakutô back, and walked out of the Maggot's Nest with its familiar weight at his waist.

_Now, I suppose I should go to the 2__nd__ squad barracks now._

He left, walking at a steady pace. After having walked for a while , he noticed he was standing in front of the 4th division barracks. He went in, and knocked on the captain's office's door. Unohana opened it, and looked happy to see him. "come in! I suppose you would not say no to a cup of tea, would you?"

After Metsu had thanked her for getting him out of prison, he and Unohana talked for a few hours. He then decided he should really go to Sayuri's office. On his way towards it, he felt like someone was watching him, and when he looked around, he thought, he saw Yoruichi disappear out of sight.

_Nah. Can't be. She can't come here anyway, she's not a Shinigami._

He entered Sayuri's office, and saw her kissing a smiling young man. He had messy brown hair that he had tied in a topknot, and wore colourful, expensive silk clothes. He had no noble air about him, but his clothes gave away he came from a noble family. When he noticed Metsu, his smile grew even wider. He patted Sayuri on the head, whispered: "see you tonight, Sayuri-chan!" and jumped out of the window, wrecking it in the process. Sayuri looked at Metsu, and blushed heavily.


	23. Infatuation

I'm on a roll today, uploading all I can!  
Bleach is owned by Kubo Tite, in case you didn't catch that from the 22 previous disclaimers.  
Also, I own the original characters in combination with Katjeschatje, who is writing her own version of this story.  
As always, if you are still with me, thank you, and I hope you enjoy the ride! (if you don't, feel free to tell me why)

Part 3 – All's Fair in Love and War

Chapter 3 – Infatuation

There was a moment of awkward silence, of those that tend to occur when one walks in on two lovers. Both Sayuri and Metsu failed to break it. Fortunately for them, however, they did not need to, as a stunningly beautiful maiden had just walked into the office. She had long, waist-length black hair, which she had tied back with a red ribbon. The Shihakushô had never looked this good on a woman before. She put a bundle of documents on Sayuri's desk, and left as fast as she had come. One pair of eyes, Metsu's, followed her as she left the room.

_Who _is_ she?_

As if she had been able to read his thoughts, the captain of squad 2 said:

"She is this company's lieutenant, Hanamiko-san. A very capable person." She added.

Metsu soon found out that the 2nd division, and the Onmitsukidô, focused mainly on gathering intelligence, and assassination. It was in this second discipline that Metsu excelled. His position as an assassin allowed him to act upon his lifelong wish: cleansing the world of its worst filth. The fact that Metsu took great pleasure in torture and execution, earned him a reputation as a sadistic and cruel monster, albeit a rightful one.

Because he was so very absorbed by his work, he never had the chance to see the woman that was his direct superior. This did not stop her from haunting his every thought, however. Metsu was shocked by the frequency at which he thought of her. He had never been so infatuated with someone ever before, and the fact that he did not know why he thought of her so much, (as he had seen her only once, and for a very short time, to boot) did not simplify things in the least.

"Please!"

Metsu was standing in a luxurious mansion, not far from Seireitei. The room he was currently in was lit only by two candles that were on the verge of extinction, and empty, except for Metsu and a fat, balding man.

"Please! Spare me!" the man pleaded, while grovelling in front of Metsu. Metsu looked at him, but said and did nothing.

"Please! I have a wife and two children!"

"Oh?" Metsu said. "Don't worry". A ray of hope appeared in the fat man's bloodshed eyes. Metsu grinned, then went on: "they'll join you soon enough"

And he brought down his blade, cutting the man's head cleanly in two.

On his way back to his quarters, he let his thoughts wander, and, as they always did, went straight to the maiden that was second in command of the squad he belonged to. He was so absorbed in his thoughts of her, that he did not notice her when she nearly bumped into him.

He had not noticed, both that he was still drenched in blood from his earlier business, and that it caused people to stay as far away from him as possible.

When he had finally regained his apartment, he went straight for the bathroom, ready to wash the blood off. When he entered his bathroom, he had the unpleasant surprise of finding a naked woman in his bath. The woman had long purple hair, a tanned skin and yellow eyes. She chuckled at his shocked face, and said: "can't you knock before entering, Hime-chan?"

"What the hell are you doing in my bathroom, witch!" Metsu shouted out.

"Now, now" she answered. "No need to get this tense. Why don't you come in too? You know you want to!"

"Shut the hell up!" Metsu yelled at her. "And get out of here!" he slammed the door shut.

A few moments later, that very same door opened again, and Yoruichi came out, this time fully clothed. She sat down in front of him, and said:

"You're cute when you're angry, did you know that?"

"Did you come here only to act slutty, or was there an actual reason for your visit?" was Metsu's immediate reply.

"You shouldn't act this vulgar towards your nice elder sister who came all the way here to check up on you, you know!" she did not wait for a reply, and continued: "By the way, Sayuri asked me to tell you she wants you in her office immediately."

Metsu stood up, grabbed his sword, and left at once. Before he had opened the door, he heard her say: "if you hurry, that cute vice-captain you like so much might be there." She grinned.

Metsu blushed, but said nothing.

Once he had arrived at Sayuri's office, he found out Yoruichi had indeed been speaking the truth: Sayuri's lieutenant was indeed present. Sayuri looked at her two subordinates and told them the following:

"We have received troubling information concerning the 80th district of Rukongai, Zaraki. It seems someone is recruiting all kinds of people, from mercenaries to skilled assassins, and intends to use them to form an army. Their intentions are unclear, but we are not allowed to take any risks: eliminate them at once!". Then she quickly added: "oh, and by the way, you are to cooperate on this mission, so-"

Sayuri's lieutenant interrupted her. "I would rather not cooperate with this fiend of a man"

These words, coming from the one he was, although not willingly, obsessed with, profoundly hurt Metsu. He was not one for self-pity, and he quickly retorted: "I work solo too. I don't like dead weight."

She, Hanamiko-san, had opened her mouth to snap back at him, but their dispute was interrupted by Sayuri: "I do not remember you being allowed to question my orders! Now go make preparations, you leave tomorrow at dawn." Both 3rd seat and lieutenant did not react. Metsu's gaze kept alternating between Sayuri and Hanamiko. She on the other hand, kept staring at the wall as if trying to destroy by sheer willpower. This situation might have gone on for a very, very long time, if Sayuri had not yelled at them to get out of her office this instant.

When Metsu had returned to his apartment, he found out that, to his relief, _she_ had left. He also found out that she had left a picture of her naked on his living room table. On its back were the following words:

_Dear Hime-chan_

_Try not to die a virgin, OK?_

_Love,_

_Yoruichi-onee-sama_

Metsu said nothing, and quietly tore the picture to shreds.


	24. Zaraki's Fortress

Well, I seem to be lacking in inspiration regarding what to write in these disclaimers. I try to make them as interesting as possible, but wit has never been my strong point, so there are only so many variations on "Bleach isn't mine, why would you even be deluded into thinking that?" available to me.  
I like to think this is where the plot kicks in, because this is where I start writing fighting scenes again, but that is actually a rather shallow way of viewing a story's plot.  
Anyway, my ramblings aren't more interesting than the story, so I'm sure you'd rather read that. please have fun reading it as much as possible!

Part 3 – All's Fair in Love and War

Chapter 4 – Zaraki's Fortress

The next day, he and Hanamiko set out. It took them less than one hour to reach Zaraki, despite it being the furthest from Seireitei you could get. They had not said a word to each other except a grumbled "good morning". This was due both to their argument of yesterday, and the fact it was five o'clock in the morning. When they reached Zaraki, they immediately noticed something was wrong. There were freshly cut heads all over the place, and the smell was unbearable. The young vice-captain looked a little uneasy. The duo had planned to interrogate the locals, but this proved impossible, for there was no one around.

_Are they all hiding, or are they..._

Hanamiko then pointed to a huge (at least, for Zaraki's standards) building, surrounded by thick wooden walls. Metsu was shocked. It was not because the building was particularly impressive, nor because it had not been there last time Metsu had visited Zaraki, but because its location was incredibly familiar: it had been built on the exact same spot as the slavers' warehouse whose owners Metsu had slaughtered.

The complex must have had people on the lookout, because Metsu noticed there were around fifty heavily armed men coming their way.

_So much for the element of surprise, huh?_

Metsu was only halfway through drawing his sword, when Hanamiko stopped him. Metsu turned to her, but she had vanished. He then saw a scene that made him regret ever having put the words "dead weight" in a sentence concerning her: she was easily wiping the floor with all fifty warriors. Of course, Metsu could follow her quite clearly, but the enemies obviously couldn't.

Having eliminated the last of the band of fighters, she reappeared next to Metsu.

"let's get going" he said, looking at her as if he had never seen her before.

They were able to reach the fort without any trouble. Metsu then effortlessly slashed the massive wooden door open. When they entered, they were welcomed by a volley of sharp, steel arrows, which proved to be as effective than the warriors Hanamiko had just trashed.

The two Shinigami looked around. They stood in a scarcely decorated hall. It appeared to be empty, but a voice coming from behind them proved them wrong. They turned around at once. In front of them stood a short, gray-haired man with a walrus-like moustache. He did not look very dangerous, but the fact he was able to approach two expert Shinigami undetected proved that he clearly did possess a fair amount of skill himself. Suddenly, he drew a knife out of nowhere, and stabbed at Metsu's head. He could not evade the strike completely, and a rather deep cut appeared on his left cheek. Metsu grabbed the old man's arm, and threw him across the entrance hall. He landed on his feet, took off his melon hat, bowed, and said:

"The old man standing in front of you is called Tôyama Mosuke. I am one of this stronghold's elite fighters. This is as far as you'll go"

"He's all yours" Hanamiko told Metsu, before sitting down on a nearby chair. Metsu grinned, and disappeared. So did Mosuke.

They clashed in midair, and Metsu's short sword cut through Mosuke's knife as if it was made of butter. Before Metsu could strike at his now defenceless opponent, he disappeared again, reappearing about ten meters away from Metsu. Mosuke drew a sword from the inside of his coat. When he had unsheathed it, a chill went up Metsu's spine. Something was telling him this old man still had some powerful surprises in store.


End file.
